Arrest TMC MP for repulsive rape threat

By MiD DAY Correspondent |Posted 02-Jul-2014

There is large scale outrage and anger following Trinamool Congress (TMC) party MP Tapas Pal’s statements recorded on video, which were released recently. In the video, he stated that “if any CPM Communist Party of India, Marxist man is present here, listen to me.

If you ever touch any Trinamool Congress worker or their families, you have to pay for this. If any rival touches any Trinamool woman, father or child, then I will ruin their generations. I will let loose my boys, they will commit rape. Yes, they will commit rape,” the MP warned.

The video, which was taken some weeks ago, is nothing short of shocking. Pal has since then waffled, claiming that he said raid instead of rape. Other reports are coming in saying that his wife has apologised for the comments but that does not absolve the MP who made a heinous, cowardly, sickening and repulsive threat, and only added to the repertoire of sickening statements made by male politicians about women.

What is even more reprehensible is the silence of TMC chief Mamata Banerjee. Except from one banal statement saying she is saddened, there is nothing from the West Bengal Chief Minister. Pal should be arrested. There is no excuse and no going back from such comments.

One does not see why women wives, sisters, daughters have to apologise for male politicians and such comments. We have heard too many politicians using sexual harassment, denigration of women and threats revolving around sexual violence, in a casual cavalier manner.

Pal’s salvo is the latest in that long line of statements. There is no use asking for explanations and these are hollow and meaningless. Pal needs to lose his seat as he now cannot be an elected representative and arrested following that. All the talk about stringent action, distancing oneself from the statement and waiting for a decision is a load of hogwash.

If an MP can get away with a mere rap on the knuckles for threatening to let loose men to rape women, it is the biggest shame for this country.